Chill
by Kurai-Tenshi-015
Summary: After gaining a new believer, Jack has been visiting a certain house with alarming frequency and he won't tell the others why. JackxOC. A companion story to "Chocolate Connoisseur." UPDATE: The one-shots that continued this series have been converged into this story as chapters.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first published fanfic. Constructive criticism is encouraged and appreciated. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything recognizeable from Rise of the Guardians. I only own my character Sarah, the unnamed children, and the plot.

Chill

It was always exciting when one of the Guardians gained a new believer. They would celebrate the new twinkling light on the globe at the Pole and sometimes even visit Earth to see the child. However, this new light was different. It held a strange significance that only Jack Frost knew about. The others didn't understand why he spent so much time at this house lately. It seemed sporadic and unplanned, but somehow he knew exactly when he was needed. When Tooth questioned him, he merely evaded and changed the subject. Bunny however, couldn't help but bring attention to his flushed cheeks when Jack was pressed for an explanation. Jack would then get angry and brush him off with the typical "kangaroo" insult and stalk off to who knows where.

Tonight was exactly like the others. He suddenly had somewhere to be, something to do. _Someone to see. _He left with a mumbled excuse to North and instantly flew off into the snow. Tooth sighed and shrugged at her confused fairies and Bunny rolled his eyes before looking toward the globe, searching for the light that had caught Jack's interest so quickly and passionately.

Jack peered into the window at the children sitting at the dinner table. There were three of them; two girls and a boy between the ages of three and seven. The little three year old girl was his new believer. She stabs her potatoes with her fork, pouting when they fall off just as they reach her mouth. The seven year old boy sighs and reaches over to help her while the four year old girl just focuses on her own meal. His new believer is so young that she is fully engrossed in everything her older siblings love. And that includes Jack Frost. She had read all of the books and heard all of the stories. She dreams of the day that she is playing in the snow that coming Winter and sees him for herself. But today, it was the middle of Summer and a whopping 89 degrees even at six o' clock at night. And while the little girl is adorable and indeed reminds him of his own sister, she is not the main reason for his visit. Jack's ice blue eyes search the kitchen, past the empty chair by the children and across the appliances and countertops. His brow furrows in confusion and he glances down at the street where the small burgundy car sits. The white minivan is missing, the parents having long finished their own dinner and arrived at the movies for a night out. He was certain that… his ears perk up and his eyes swerve back toward the kitchen as a female voice echoes from the hallway. His hand instinctively clutches the windowsill in anticipation and finally a slim figure appears in the doorway. His lips twitch upwards into a smile as he watches her move around the room, talking into the phone at her ear.

"Yes, everything is great, Mrs. McGregor… yes, they are here eating." She smiles down at the children.

"Hi, mommy!" They all squeal in delight, momentarily distracted from their potatoes and grilled chicken bites. Sarah grins down at them and ruffles the youngest one's hair, making her giggle.

"Mhmm. Yep, sounds good… okay…" Jack watches her continue to walk around the room. She moves the phone from one ear to the other and holds it there with her shoulder while she begins washing one of the dishes in the sink. "No problem, we'll see you in the morning. Goodnight." She pauses to end the call and sets the phone on the countertop. She hums to herself and occasionally glances over her shoulder to check on the kids. They behave as they always do, of course. They love her and would never do anything to upset her.

When they are done eating they obediently bring their plates to her and she allows the boy to dry them with a towel after they're cleaned. "Okay, bath time everyone. Come on!" She ushers them out and up the stairs to the bathroom and Jack can't help himself. He flies around the house to the bedroom window and waits patiently while the children are bathed and changed into their pajamas. An hour passes and then the two girls run into the room and climb into the beds, giggling. Jack chuckles to himself, their contagious smiles impossible to ignore. He hears Sarah telling the boy goodnight as he is too old now for bedtime stories and cuddling. She closes his door softly after turning out his light and comes into the girls' bedroom.

"Sarah, can you tell us a story?" One of them asks, and she laughs as if she didn't know that question was coming. She sits in the chair between the two beds covered in pink pillows and stuffed animals.

"Sure, which one?" Sarah asks and the three year old crawls into her lap, abandoning her bed for the comfort of their favorite nineteen-year-old babysitter.

"Jack Frost!" His heart jumps into his throat at the mention of him and he self-consciously pulls his hood over his head and backs away from the window. Then he realizes that the little girl meant her story choice and had not in fact caught him peeping in on them. He shakes his head at his jumpiness and continues to watch them in the dim coral tinged lamp light.

"Okay. Let's see…" Sarah wraps her arm around the little girl and turns toward the other as not to ignore her. She then begins to tell the myth of Jack Frost and how he brings all of the ice and snow during Winter.

Jack watches her as attentively as the girls, drawn in by her warm voice and sweet smile. He was taken back to when he first saw her, the night that he gained his new believer. In actuality he had Sarah to thank for that. She had been the one to give the little girl the book of myths for her birthday, after all.

Jack had flown down to their little home in Michigan looking for the little girl, and he had stumbled upon, or rather _through,_ Sarah. She had been closing the window to their bedroom for the night when he flew up to it. Her nose brushed his, emanating just the slightest of blue light as she leaned forward to grasp the sill, making him gasp and fly backwards. Her sable eyes looked right through him, but he still felt his pulse speed up from their closeness.

From that moment on he had kept track of when the McGregor's left their children in Sarah's care. However, it was usually only for an evening. Far too short in Jack's opinion. He just couldn't bring himself to watch Sarah on her own. It felt as though his new believer gave him an excuse, and he could tell the semi truth to the others when he returned. Sarah speaks of him in an awed tone that he knows is for the girls' benefit. Not for the first time, he wishes that she also believed in him. She believed in the myth, but not Jack Frost himself. It was most unfortunate and left a heavy feeling in Jack's chest. However, perhaps it was for the best. It wouldn't be very good for her to see him lurking around the house every night she was there.

As her story ended and the girls' eyelids began to droop closed, Sarah smiled and laid the younger one back into her bed, not bothering to cover her with her sheets as she usually did due to the heat. Sarah fanned her neck with her hand, softly cursing the broken air conditioner. Jack had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. That was one of the things he loved about her. She was so sweet and motherly to the children, but when they were asleep she forgot to, or rather didn't bother to, censor her language. One of the things he was certain the McGregor's didn't know about.

"If only you _were_ real, Jack. You would be mighty welcomed tonight." She mutters, and Jack nearly falls off of the windowsill. She shuts off the lamp and plugs in the tiny night light before closing their door, sighing. Jack sits there for another moment or two, torn. He knows that he should leave. He came to see her and he did. He should go back to the Pole now, satisfied. He pulls himself away from the window and begins his flight home, trying to ignore the nagging need to go back. _I shouldn't go back. I should just keep going. _Obviously his body didn't agree with his brain because not ten minutes after he had begun, he turns around abruptly and starts to fly back to the house.

He glides around to the guest room and squints through the window, attempting to see through the darkness. When he fails to locate Sarah he reaches out a hand and sighs.

"This is a bad idea." He mumbled, pushing the ajar window further open. His bare feet hit the plush carpet and his eyes adjust to the dark quickly. He sees a figure on the bed and moves closer carefully. Sarah was sprawled out over the sheets, obviously uncomfortable from the heat. Jack feels his own cheeks flush as his eyes land on her figure barely covered by a tank top and a small pair of underwear. He is so close now that he can see the small bow nestled in the lace underneath her belly button. He tries to swallow, his mouth suddenly dry, and in his nervousness he lets go a burst of cold into the air from his staff. The change in atmosphere in the room is instantly palpable and he gasps as Sarah groans and shifts on the bed, seemingly seeking out the welcome chill. Jack's jaw drops as she moves onto her back, her arms stretching over her head, pulling her tank top taut. He tries desperately to avert his eyes, but the sudden chill in the room has made her nipples strain against the thin fabric, bringing his attention to the last place it should be. "Oh, man." His breath makes a cold mist in the air at his expletive and he stumbles backward a step, his feet turning in an attempt to flee. However, when she shifts even more, her feet curling underneath her and her back arching, he finds himself staring at her thighs now covered in goose bumps.

His feet move closer to the bed and his hand reaches out toward her seemingly without his consent, and his fingers brush against her just under her jaw, feeling the soft skin of her throat. Her brow furrows in confusion at the temperature of his hand and a small sound leaves her throat. Jack's eyes trail over her flushed face, focusing on her long dark lashes and pink pouty lips, over her neck now turned away from him to accept more relief from the heat. His icy blue eyes continue down over her covered breasts and now taut nipples, down over her exposed navel, and finally settling on her thighs perfectly displayed by her small panties. Jack swallows again, the tiny ribbon bow taunting him. His hand glides down her side, trailing a light blue glow, the constant reminder that she doesn't believe. But he doesn't care. His hand stops at the flare of her hip and he realizes that his chest is heaving with his irregular breaths. His fingertips barely graze the side of her underwear, admiring the lacy pattern against her skin when a sudden noise makes him jump. He gasps and jumps away from Sarah only to see the smirking face of Bunny across the room, leaning against the wall smugly.

"Well…" He drawls, and Jack feels dread well up inside of him. "This sure explains a lot, doesn't it?" Jack is certain that his face is bright red by now, and his hand still tingles from being so close to Sarah's warm body. The only thing he can do is gawk as Bunny moves closer to them, his eyes filled with amusement and accusations as they dart over Sarah and refocus on Jack. For that he is thankful. Still, Jack quickly summons a wind to pull the discarded cotton sheet over Sarah's figure, trying to ignore her moan of discomfort. When he is certain that she is decent he glares at Bunny, willing his blush to disappear.

"What are you doing here?" He growls out, holding his staff threateningly.

"I knew there was a reason you kept coming back here. But I have to say, it was quite a surprise to find you _here_ rather than down the hall with the little ankle biters." Bunny's still smirking and he crosses his arms over his chest. "The newest Guardian, Jack Frost, feeling up his believer's babysitter. Crikey! What would North say?" He laughs at the pure rage on Jack's face. Rage because he had been caught, and because he couldn't deny it.

"Don't you _dare_ tell him!" He lets loose a blast of ice in Bunny's direction but the oversized rabbit evades and only continues to laugh. "I swear, Kangaroo, don't-"

"Or what, mate?" Is all that Bunny says before thumping the floor twice with his foot, opening up a tunnel straight to the Pole. With a last mocking glance, he jumps in and disappears. Jack jumps at the tunnel but it closes before he can get in, and he lets out a scream of frustration, gripping his silver hair with shaking hands. He runs toward the window, and then stops and turns back toward Sarah. Jack strides over and blows the sheet off of her for her, giving into the impulse and kissing her jaw softly. Sarah sighs and he runs back to the window before launching himself into the sky.

Sarah groans and rolls over, trying to escape the overheated sheets tangled around her feet. When she fails she lets out a frustrated sound and sits up tiredly, pulling her hair off of her damp neck. She yawns and rises up from the bed, stretching. She decides to check on the kids since sleep is no longer a possibility but on her way to the door something catches her eye. She turns and narrows her eyes.

"Is that…" She walks toward the window and reaches out a fingertip to the glass. A gasp leaves her as her finger moves through the thin layer of ice slowly melting in the Summer heat. She stares at the icy patterns in disbelief. "…Jack Frost?"

Back at the Pole, as Jack pummels Bunny with ice to keep him silent and North watches in confusion, a small twinkle of light appears on the globe, seeming to glow brighter than the rest.


	2. Starting Over Again

**Author's Note: **I wasn't planning on continuing Jack and Sarah's story, but my creative candle is burning like crazy. Also, thank you to **ksea-untamed** and **Kyuupo **for your reviews. You guys wanted a sequel... well here it is! This is the sequel to "Chill," so anyone who hasn't read that yet should do so now. Trust me, it will be a lot less confusing. Enjoy!

******Updated author's note: **It has been brought to my attention that having so many one-shot stories in one series can be quite confusing to read. Therefore I will be updating these to be part of one whole story. Hopefully it will be less confusing that way for you guys as well as myself. I too have been getting confused while writing them out of order and attempting to keep track of the timeline. Please be patient as I upload them into one story. I will not delete the separate one-shots until I am sure the updating is completed correctly.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything recognizable from Rise of the Guardians.

Starting Over Again

Sarah can't help but look at the window, hoping to see the boy that the McGregor kids had become so attached to through the retelling of stories. Of course, there is nothing there, and she sighs, focusing back on her professor who continued to lecture in a monotone.

When she had woken up that hot Summer night to the frost on her window she wanted to try to explain it away. It was impossible for ice to form when it was over eighty degrees, right? She had assumed as much. Then how did it happen? The only answer she could come up with was that maybe the myth of Jack Frost wasn't completely a myth. But that also seemed impossible. However, her mind just keeps returning to how she could clearly see and feel the ice on her window. She just couldn't explain it in any other logical way. It had to be him. Her professor claps his hands loudly like he always does when he's finished his verbal torture, startling her and some of the other daydreaming students.

"Okay, that's it for today. See you guys on Wednesday." _Finally, _she thinks to herself, gathering her things and quickly making her way out of the classroom. As she exits the campus and heads to her car, her cell phone rings loudly, and she fumbles through her purse to find it.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Sarah? It's Natasha."

"Oh, hello Mrs. McGregor." The older woman laughs softly at her insistence for formality.

"I'm sorry to call you on such short notice but something has come up at work tonight and Phil is out this evening. Could you come watch the kids for us? Just for a few hours, I promise I'll be home before eleven."

"Sure, of course. Umm, what time would you like me there?" Sarah listens to Natasha through instructions and idle chit chat while she drives home. In the back of her mind she wonders if she'll see more frost on the guest room window. It had been months since that happened, and she had come to the conclusion that whether it was real or not, it only happened at their house. Her overheated apartment remained so. She had gotten excited during the last week of Autumn when everything had a coat of frost in the morning, but that wasn't quite enough proof for her. She had always said that seeing was believing, and she was determined to keep it that way.

Upon arriving at the McGregor's house her eyes glance over the windows. Nothing. Not even a chill on the air, really. While it was becoming cool, there was no hint of ice at all tonight. Sarah compresses her disappointment and knocks on the door to alert Natasha to her presence. She is met with a hug and expletives of gratitude and ushered into the kitchen. At the sight of the children already eating dinner her eyes widen and Natasha smiles at her.

"I didn't want you to have too much to do. Just leave the dishes for later…" Sarah smiles. Natasha always hated it when she did the dishes. It made her feel as if she were taking advantage of the younger girl. "… and help them with their baths. I will be back before you know it. Goodnight, kids. I love you!" She kisses each on the top of their heads and they return the sentiment with mouths full of noodles.

Sarah watches Natasha leave before sitting at the kitchen table herself, taking a roll from the bread basket. She watches the children eat and chatter to themselves, chewing distractedly. Something knocks against the window and she jumps up, nearly tripping over her chair to look. The oldest boy asks her what's wrong but she just ignores him, her eyes glued. And then she sees a bird flutter up to the sill and shake itself off. She sighs, cursing herself for her silliness.

"Nothing. Just a bird having trouble flying." She says, mostly to herself rather than to answer his question." When the children are finished eating she helps the little one with her bath, making sure the older two have their towels. "So… have you seen Jack Frost yet?" She asks the three year old, feeling somewhat guilty for using her as an outlet for information. But she had to know. The little girl furrows her brows in anger.

"No." She sounds downright put out, and Sarah bits her lip to keep from smiling in amusement. "But I know he's real." She slaps the bubble covered water as if to solidify her point. "He's not here because it's not cold." Sarah hums in agreement. It made sense. "But when it's Winter, I'm gonna see him." Sarah considers that for a moment, still wondering why if he is a Winter spirit that he supposedly showed up in the middle of Summer. It just didn't make any sense. _Oh well. _

"Come on, little one. Let's get you to bed." She dries her off with a towel before checking on the other two. The boy was already in bed, not a surprise. The other girl was standing outside of the bathroom door patiently in her pajamas. Sarah ushers them to their bedroom and begins to read them a fairy tale once again with the younger one in her lap.

x~x

Jack smiles at the sight of the burgundy car parked onto the street and flies up to the window of the girls' bedroom. If he had timed it right, Sarah should be reading them a bedtime story. He always loved hearing her voice as she read. It was so soothing that he almost found himself falling asleep as well. He rests his folded arms on the window sill and sits on the top of his staff, watching the little girls grow tired. It sounded like that night's pick was Cinderella. He had to admit that he was disappointed she wasn't telling his story again, but he was content just to watch her. As she reached the end of the story both girls were sleeping, the little one leaning her head against Sarah's collarbone. The older girl smiles and runs a hand over her hair before picking her up to carry her back to her bed. However, in that moment, her eyes drift over the window and freeze. Jack's eyes widen when he realizes that she is staring straight at him and he gasps, jerking away from the window and floating in the air for a moment. _She can see me! _She continues to stare, her mouth dropping open. She glances away, and then back. Slowly she puts the youngest girl down on her bed and pulls the blankets over her. Then she looks back up toward the window. This time Jack slowly approaches the glass again, this time with a small smile. Sarah's lips twitch as if to return it, but then she frowns and walks backward toward the door. She turns her back to him to close it, giving him one more meaningful glance before disappearing down the hall.

"What…" Jack was at a loss. North had mentioned that a new light had appeared. He never considered that it could have been her. He just assumed that he would be forced to watch her from afar, ignoring the pain he felt when her eyes looked right through him. And now she had stared right _at _him. And then left. He looks at the closed door in confusion. He had a feeling what she wanted. If she wanted to talk to him, she wouldn't risk waking up the girls while doing it. And if she was certain that it was now him that caused the frost on the guest room window…

Instantly he flies around the house to the guest room, just in time to see small fingers push out on the glass to open the window. He takes a deep breath and slowly floats down to it, his heart stopping for a beat when she tilts her head up to find him, her brown eyes meeting his. She gasps and strains her neck, watching him float down to her level. He settles right in front of her, and she just stares. He remembers how he had done the same to her, just months before. She had ensnared him somehow, and he just couldn't stay away. At least she was more properly dressed this time. He took in her jeans and long sleeved shirt, completely casual but still managing to make her look beautiful to him. Her brown hair was in a ponytail, the ends trailing just over her shoulders as she moved.

"I can't believe it." She breathes, making Jack laugh.

"Well obviously you do, or else you wouldn't be able to see me." He says with a shy smile. He had hoped that she would believe in him, but now that she did, he didn't really know how to respond. It was so different, actually interacting with her.

"How… how can you _fly?"_ She is looking down at his floating feet now, and he can't help but do a back flip in the air, showing off just a little.

"I dunno. I just can." He shrugs, and she shakes her head.

"Crazy."

"No, you're not." Jack feels the need to assure her that she was fine. This wasn't bad. This was wonderful. She backs up from the window further into the room, and after a questioning glance Jack follows, his feet touching the ground. The light is on, and now Sarah can see him in his entirety. He is a little bit taller than her, and so thin. He couldn't be much older than her, barely twenty. But the weirdest thing was that he was wearing a regular blue hooded sweatshirt. Not what she would expect from a magical spirit.

"Are you really Jack Frost?" She asks, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Yep. The one and only." He smiles, and she tilts her head, studying him. Then she reaches out a hand and pokes him. Hard, in the sternum. He flinches and reaches a hand up to rub the abused spot, glaring at her. "Ow. What was that for?" She has the decency to blush.

"Sorry." She says, biting her lip again. And then her eyes focus on him with a new purpose. "Were you the one who put the ice on my window that night?" Now he looks uncomfortable and shifts his weight from one foot to the other.

"Uhh, yeah. That was me." He says.

"I could have sworn I felt that room cool off. Was that you, too?" After a few tense moments he nods, and she gasps lightly. "Why did you come when it was Summer?" He doesn't know how to answer that, and considers how he could without freaking her out. He didn't want to tell her that he was stalking her. She would just run away from him, and that would hurt him more than he thought possible.

"Um…"

"How long have you been here?"

"What do you mean _here?"_ Jack stalls for time and she sighs, sitting down on the bed and shaking her head.

"I don't know. I'm so confused." She sounds so sad, and he wants to help explain things to her so she wouldn't be scared of him. He walks closer to her and reaches out for her hand, rejoicing when she doesn't pull away. She does shiver however, and stares at him. "You're really cold." Jack frowns.

"Yeah, sorry."

"It's okay. Just… I wasn't expecting it." He is thankful for her kind words and sits down next to her, preparing himself for what felt like the beginning of an interrogation. "Do you mind? If I ask you about yourself?"

"No. Go ahead." Jack turns closer to her and folds his legs under himself, balancing his staff on his knees. Sarah watches him settle himself next to her and thinks that he seems so at ease, as if he has no cares in the world.

"Hmm. When were you born?"

"I don't really remember that much. But I've been Jack Frost for over three hundred years."

"Three hundred…" Her voice trails off and she shakes her head. "Jeez…"

"Yeah. It's been a while." He laughs in response.

"_A while?_ You're like, ancient." He glares at her playfully and she gives him an apologetic smile. "Sorry. So what exactly _are_ you?"

"Well technically, I'm a Guardian." At her confused look he continues, wanting so badly for her to understand and accept him. "Guardians protect all children and what we represent in them. Wonder, dreams, hope, fun. There are five of us."

"Five?"

"Well technically only five Guardians. There are hundreds of spirits like us, I suppose. Me, Santa-"

"_Santa?"_

"Yeah. And the Easter Bunny, the Sandman and the Tooth Fairy." Sarah stares at him, and he laughs and raises his hands up in front of him. "It's true."

"The Tooth Fairy." She deadpans.

"And the Easter Bunny and the Sandman." He says patiently.

"Wow. I thought they were just stories-"

"Many people do. And that works against us most of the time."

"What happens?"

"If no one believes in us, then we disappear." She looks startled and sits up straighter.

"That's horrible!" Jack smiles at her concern and shrugs.

"We've figured out how to keep the lights going. That's how we keep track of the children. We have these globes that show everyone who believes by a light in their location in the world."

"Am I on it?"

"Yeah. And the kids downstairs." Sarah smiles at the thought of them.

"They're sweet."

"Yeah, they are." This brings her attention back on him and her eyes narrow.

"How long have you been watching them?"

"Uh… I don't know. The youngest one just started believing like six months ago, so…"

"Huh…" Sarah mumbles, and Jack feels uncomfortable under her unwavering eyes. "How often do you come here?" He is instantly stuttering, and she raises an eyebrow, somehow knowing the answer without him having to say it. "Have you been coming every time I'm here?" It sounded arrogant, but the look on his face proved it true, and she was strangely flattered. He looks up at her from under his lashes, expecting a lashing, but she just smiles in confusion. "Why?"

"You're just…" He takes a deep breath and shakes his head. "I first saw you the night you gave the smallest girl the book of myths with me in it. She started to believe and I wanted to see her. You were closing the window and I flew into you."

"No, you didn't."

"I did. You didn't believe in me so I went right through you." Her mouth opens in a small "o" and she looks down at her lap. She thought to herself that it would have felt awful to be invisible. She knew that her own feelings would be hurt to be constantly reminded that you meant nothing to so many people. She suddenly feels sorry that she hadn't believed, and looks back at him. He is watching her, his ice blue eyes seeming so close to hers. "I was this close, and you still didn't see me."

"I'm sorry." She whispers. _His eyes are so pretty._ She tries to snap herself out of her sudden trance and Jack leans back again. "That must really suck, not having people see you."

"I wasn't seen for my first three hundred years. I was pretty used to it."

"That doesn't change the fact that it hurts." She takes his hand in hers and Jack is surprised at the sad expression on her face. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, Jack."

"Thanks, Sarah." He says, and she laughs.

"I can't believe you were stalking me this entire time and I never knew it." He blushes, making her smile.

"I wasn't stalking you."

"Oh?" He smirks.

"Okay, maybe I was." Sarah laughs again, and he feels his chest swell with emotion. "You never answered why."

"You just seemed so nice, and cool, and… I don't know. I loved watching you with the kids. It was like you were a Guardian, too."

"Oh, no. I have no magical powers." She says dryly, shaking her head.

"I wouldn't say that. You could put anyone to sleep." She makes an offended sound and he backtracks, shaking his head. "No, I mean, when you tell stories. Your voice is really soothing." She blushes.

"Thanks." They sit there in silence for a moment and she wonders to herself if all of the Guardians are as attractive as Jack. He just seemed so _normal_ besides the silver hair and ability to defy gravity. "So what are the other Guardians like?"

"Well Bunny always seems to be in a bad mood. Well, lately he's been better even though no one knows why. Anyway-"

"Is he a real rabbit?"

"Sort of. Not really. He's what he calls a pooka. He's like six feet tall and sometimes seems more human than not. But he's got the appearance of a rabbit."

"Weird." Sarah says, making Jack laugh.

"Kinda. But he's good at what he does. Santa's just like the stories, but we call him North…" Jack continues into the evening telling Sarah about the other Guardians and how they protected the children. He even told her about when they had to keep Pitch from destroying all of them. It was amazing to think that there was an entire world of magical beings that Sarah didn't even know about. It made her wonder what else was real that she just couldn't see because she didn't believe. Her father had always told her that belief is a powerful thing, but she never imagined that it could mean _this _much.

They talked comfortably until Sarah heard the front door downstairs opening. She gasps and jumps up, about to freak out at having a boy in the house before she remembers that the McGregors wouldn't be able to see him. It made guilt leak into her heart again before she turns back to Jack. He is standing with the smile that she begun to fall in love with while they were talking. It gave her a funny feeling in her stomach, and after hearing of his loneliness she wanted it to never go away. She smiles back and shrugs.

"I guess that's my cue to go home." She says, and fidgets for a moment, unsure.

"Well now that I can't sneak around anymore, can I visit you at your house?" Sarah blinks up at him, surprised for a moment before nodding.

"Um, sure. Do you know where it is?" His bashful look told her that he did, and she just laughs. She was shocked that he wanted to continue their, dare she say, friendship, but she couldn't deny the joy she felt because of it. He was so fascinating, and she wanted to learn more about him. She hears Natasha calling out for her and bites her lip. "I should go before she thinks I skipped out on the kids." Jack laughs and nods, heading toward the window to make his exit. "It was really nice to meet you, Jack." He stops and turns, his grin wide.

"Yeah. It was nice meeting you… again." They grin at each other and he flies out of the window with one last glance. She can't help it. She runs over to the window and watches him spin and dive in the air, his hair blowing in the wind. She sighs and wonders if she had just started something dangerous. She couldn't be getting a crush on Jack Frost. Was it even _allowed? _The more stubborn part of her mind told her that he had started it first when he began to creep around the house, watching her do who knows what. She suddenly wonders exactly how much of her he had seen. She thinks of the times she had danced around the kitchen while cleaning, singing along with bad disco songs blaring from the radio. With a groan she begins her trek downstairs to meet with Mrs. McGregor. _I dearly hope he didn't see anything embarrassing._

_x~x_

Jack can't wipe the wide smile off of his face as he flies back to the Pole. That night had gone far beyond his expectations, and the excitement he felt at being able to talk to Sarah again made him feel as light as a feather. He lets out a whoop of happiness and spins in the air, letting loose a flurry of snowflakes. He wondered what an appropriate amount of time was before he visited her again. A couple days? It seemed too long. Now that he had finally had a chance to interact with the girl that had captured his attention and possibly his heart, he didn't want to be apart from her for another minute. The simple act of believing had brought them together, and now he just hoped that his attraction to her wouldn't ruin their new friendship.

**Another Author's Note: **If you have liked this story so far, and you are a Bunnymund fan, I recommend that you check out my other story, "Chocolate Connoisseur." Thanks for reading!


	3. Just Love Me

**Author's Note: **Thank you for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following. Enjoy!

**Warning: **This one is M for a reason. If you are offended by lemons, leave now!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything recognizeable from Rise of the Guardians.

Just Love Me

Jack finishes freezing the streets of downtown Toronto, admiring the shining surface and the children sliding back and forth on them, smiles on their faces. He checks the time on the huge clock at City Hall and grins, manipulating the wind to carry him back to the States where a pretty girl was waiting for him. Well, technically she wasn't, but he liked to tell himself that she was. He wondered if Sarah would mind that he just dropped in. Due to her class schedule they had to choose certain days for him to come over. Usually it was Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays that she allowed him to visit her because she didn't have to get up for classes the next day. However, he just felt the need to see her.

Since they had officially met that night when she was babysitting, he couldn't think of anything else but her. He tried to use the excuse that she was his only believer closer to his age, but he knew that wasn't it. When they talked, he felt like she really listened to him, and he did the same in return. He also knew another prankster when he saw one, and he was certain that she had won his heart the day he saw her stick a plastic spider on top of her classmate's desk when they weren't looking, resulting in them freaking out in the middle of the professor's lecture. He had no idea what the classmate had done to deserve it, but he had laughed so hard that Sarah had heard him through the classroom window. She had glared at him and mouthed at him to go away, but her smile told him that she was holding in her own laughter, and more importantly, that she was pleasantly surprised to see him. He had blown her a kiss and watched her blush cutely before flying off.

He hadn't heard the end of it that night at her house. How he couldn't just stalk her during school hours, how distracting it was, and how he always had her on edge, wondering where he was going to pop up next.

They had grown close in the several months since that night they met. Neither of them said it, but it was clear that they had something special between them. Sarah didn't care that he was gone most of the time doing Guardian business, because he was always finding his way back to her even if it was just for a few minutes out of the day. Jack continues to fly to the small suburb, seeking out the small house where he had spent so much of his time. Sarah's bedroom light was on, and from his vantage point he could see her on her bed, the soft golden light from her lamp making her seem to glow. He smiles and floats down to the window, rapping his knuckles on it lightly. Her head whips up to him, and in an instant she is smirking and shaking her head. He pouts at her and she purses her lips playfully, nodding her head in a gesture to come in. He does so and leans his staff against its usual spot on the wall.

"It's Monday, Jack. A homework day, remember?" He scoffs, watching her paint her toenails a pearlescent pink to match her fingers. He nods toward the pile of textbooks and papers on her desk next to her open laptop.

"Yeah, I can see you're very hard at work." He says, and she sticks her tongue out at him, refocusing on her toes. He jumps onto the bed next to her and she makes an annoyed sound as she attempts to keep her nails from getting messed up.

"I'm taking a break. I have a six page paper due this week."

"Aww, poor baby." Jack coos, leaning his face toward her and putting just enough force on her shoulder that her hand shifts to paint the bedspread.

"Ugh! Jack!" She pushes back at him, putting the cap on her nail polish and setting it on her bedside table. "What do you want?"

"I missed you." He says, and in an instant her face softens. While his tone is mocking, his eyes express that he really did miss her, and she smiles.

"Oh, little ol' me? I'm flattered." Sarah says to take the attention off of her flushing cheeks. She stretches her legs out and wiggles her toes, willing them to dry faster. Jack smirks before puffing out his cheeks and blowing a wind her way so strong that her hair flies up around her face. "Jack! Stop!" He laughs and she pulls her hair back down around her shoulders. "You're a pest, I swear."

"Yeah, but your toes are dry." At that she blinks and checks them, grinning.

"Huh. Well I suppose you are useful for some things." He fakes a hurt look and she gives him a kiss on the cheek. "It's good to see you. What's up?"

"Not much. Made some kids happy in Toronto."

"Hm. I drew a naked woman." Jack laughs. Sarah had been taking a drawing class at college along with her general education requirements. Figure drawing was one of her favorite things to do nowadays. He instantly reaches over to her nightstand for her sketchbook, intentionally leaning over her just so he can make her uncomfortable. His ear brushes her nose, and he feels her quick intake of breath, keeping his smile to himself. When he sits back he flips through her book, admiring the sketches of people, both clothed and unclothed. He used to be embarrassed to look at the nude drawings, but she convinced him that it wasn't as weird after so many drawings, and he had to agree.

However, he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to see _her _in those pages. Preferably with a sultry pose rather than the more artistic ones the models created in her classes. He clears his throat, continuing to look through them, and he lands on one that makes him pause. It is a window covered in swirling patterns of ice. It is done in charcoal but manages to bring attention to every crease and shape, even the shadows of the frost on the window sill were visible.

"I did that one a few weeks ago. It was so pretty that morning."

"Thank you!" He smirks at her and she rolls her eyes. "You ever do any of me?"

"Of course not, you're always clothed."

"We could fix that." She laughs despite feeling her pulse race at the thought and shakes her head, taking the sketchbook from him.

"How about just a glamour shot, hm?" She grabs her charcoal case from the table and sits back down a little further away from him so she has a good perspective. "Just stay right there." Jack makes a face and she glares at him, flicking his forehead with her finger.

"Ow!" He rubs the spot and glares back. "What _is _it with you and hitting me?"

"Stay still and don't make a face!" He sighs and does as she says, lowering his hand onto his knee. He keeps his face relaxed, watching her focus on each of his features before moving her hand across the paper. The charcoal makes a soothing scratching noise, and he can't help but smile a bit when her face becomes clouded in concentration, her brow furrowing a bit and her mouth thinning into a tight line. They sat like that for a few minutes until Sarah sets down her charcoal and smiles at the paper. She turns it away from them and blows the excess black dust off before showing it to Jack.

"Wow." She had gotten every single detail. His hair, his eyes, his nose, his smile, even his eyelashes. It looked like a photograph, complete with contrasting shadows and the texture of his sweatshirt. "This is amazing, Sarah." She smiles widely at his compliment and takes it back gently.

"Thanks."

"This is really how you see me?"

"Of course. It's you. Why?"

"It just seems so… personal."

"Well…" Sarah doesn't know quite what to say to that. Sure, she had her own elevated vision of Jack. She could very well say he was her best friend, even though she secretly wished for more. "I guess you can say I put my feelings for the person I draw into the finished product. If they're someone with a dark aura, I fill in the background with dark charcoal. You're so happy and full of spirit that I just left the background bright, but with some light gray rays to show light shining from you. See?" She shows him the light that had hadn't noticed before, and he is touched that she sees him in such a way.

It was as if she saw peoples' souls, rather than just their physical attributes, and put it on paper in a beautiful artful expression. It isn't until she gives him a questioning look that he realizes he had been staring, his eyes full of emotion that he wasn't sure he wanted to say. _Why can't I just tell her?_ It was no secret, but every time he would almost get the words out, he would change the subject. He just wasn't sure how she would react if he told her how much he cared for her. Sometimes she seemed to like him, but other times he felt as if she was deliberately placing him in the friend zone. He is silent for another moment before he speaks quietly.

"Tell me something about yourself."

"What do you mean?"

"Well we've talked so much about me." That was somewhat true. Jack hadn't been able to tell her about his untimely end that led to his Guardian status. Nor had he been able to tell her about the family he left behind. He needed more time before he could confess all of that. But he had shared more with her than with anyone, and he wanted to know more about her, too. "Just tell me about yourself." Jack lays down on his side, propping a hand under his head to look at her. She sits there cross legged, and shrugs.

"Uh… okay. Let's see…" Sarah wonders what she could possibly tell him that would be interesting in the slightest. "I guess I could start with my childhood. I used to believe in the Easter Bunny and Santa, too, you know. I don't know what happened. I just grew up, I guess. God, that's sad." She frowns as she thinks about how quickly she had just wrote off the Guardians as lies her parents told her. "I was such a tomboy." Jack laughs, and she smirks at him. "Really. I was always playing in the mud and beating up the boys."

"Now _that _doesn't surprise me."

"Shut up. I'm telling my story." Jack grins and his shoulders shake with silent laughter. "Anyway, I was your average kid. Just wanting to have fun. I really don't know what you want me to say, Jack."

"Hmm, how about we play twenty questions?"

"Do I get to ask _you _questions?"

"No."

"Then that's not twenty questions!"

"Don't care." Sarah huffs and folds her arms across her chest, pouting. "How old were you when you made your first snowman?"

"I don't remember!" She groans. "Like seven, maybe? My dad always helped me before that, but I made my own eventually."

"Hm. What's your favorite food?"

"Hamburgers."

"_Really?"_

"What?" Jack just trails his eyes down her slim figure, making her blush. He shrugs and continues, suddenly getting a devious idea.

"Who was your first boyfriend?"

"I never had one." This time he just stares at her. "_What? _I was still beating the boys up in sports when I was in high school. No one wanted to date me."

"Now _that _I find hard to believe."

"Believe it, Frost. I could kick a ball harder than any of them." Sarah says, and Jack grimaces at the evil look on her face and implication before shaking his head.

"No, I mean I don't believe that no one wanted to date you."

"Well no one asked me to prom. I went anyway with friends, so it was still fun. But it would have been nice to have been asked." Jack thinks back to when she would have been to her senior prom and thinks to himself that if he had known her back then that he would have asked her.

"I would have asked you." He says, and she smiles at him.

"Thanks. But you probably would have done something horrible like knock over the punch bowl or mess with the music." Jack laughs.

"Yeah, maybe."

"It would have been fun, though." She says wistfully, and Jack would have given anything to be privy to her thoughts at that moment. Did she truly wish they had had a chance? Because it hadn't expired in his mind.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. We could have danced and rode in a limo, and then afterwards you would walk me up to my door, and I would give you a goodnight kiss." She smirks at him but her cheeks are pink, making his heart flutter. "On the cheek, of course."

"Oh, come on. That's not fair!"

"It's completely fair. We probably wouldn't have known each other that well."

"Well what about now?"

"W-what do you mean?" She stutters slightly, her eyes wide.

"We know each other pretty well know, and for a while, too."

"So?"

"So, don't you think we've progressed past a kiss on the cheek?"

"Sure, but we're not at prom." He smirks at her attempt to come up with an excuse, and sits up from his horizontal position. Sarah bites her lip, watching him cautiously. _How did we even get here?_ Jack leans closer to her, his nose brushing hers.

"Can't I have just one little kiss?" Sarah feels her pulse leap when his cool hand reaches up to her cheek, cradling it. Jack is just as affected by having her so close. He didn't mean to do it, but suddenly his eyes were closing and he pressed his lips against hers gently. A small breath leaves Sarah, teasing his lips and his thumb strokes her temple as he deepens the kiss. Her arms slowly rise to wrap around his neck and she tilts her head as his other arm snakes around her waist. After a few more moments Sarah breaks apart from him, her breaths quick. Jack's eyelids feel like lead, but he lifts them enough to look down at her.

"Okay, that was enough." She says softly, but Jack shakes his head and leans in again, and this time Sarah doesn't resist. Jack pushes her back slightly and she follows his lead until her back touches the bed, his lips continuing to move over hers. Her legs open instinctually and he settles between them, his hands on either side of her head. Sarah does her best to ignore the warning bells going off in her head and opens her lips, feeling Jack's tongue invade to dance with hers. She moans slightly when one of his hands glide down her body, and then giggles when his fingers hit a ticklish spot. He laughs too, parting his mouth from hers and smiling down at her. She sees so much affection in his eyes that it knocks the breath out of her, but she is positive that hers are the same. "Jack…"

"I love you, Sarah." She gasps and her hands lose their purchase on his shoulders. _Did he just… _"I love you." Her mother's words from "the talk" instantly come back to her. _Don't let a guy get into your pants just because of those words. Most of them are just using you._ But she knew Jack. And the love in his expression was not false. She feels tears prick her eyes and just smiles up at him. "You don't have to say it back. But I need you to know." Sarah is thankful, because while she is positive that she cares for him more than she had ever cared for anyone, she isn't quite brave enough to say the words yet. So she just responds by pulling his head back down to her and pouring all of her feelings into her kiss.

Jack is obviously happy enough with that, but Sarah isn't. Her fingertips move to grip the hem of his sweatshirt and she tugs it upward. Jack pulls away from her enough to get it completely off and she runs her hands down his lean body, not minding the cold coming off of him. Jack smiles at her and then his eyes dart down to her shirt. She smirks because she knows what he wants to ask, and she just rolls her eyes and nods. When her top is out of the way, only her bra and underwear is between them. Sarah quickly discards the bra, knowing that if she didn't she would chicken out.

The expectations of the night had completely changed. Seeing Sarah removing the rest of her clothing had Jack rushing to get out of his constricting pants. He nearly fell off of the bed in his attempts and Sarah laughs, earning a playful glare from him. His glare falls off of his face when he sees that she is completely naked now, and his eyes trail down her figure. She blushes but just sits up to kiss him again. He gives up on his pants and captures her face between his hands, jumping when he feels a rough tug from his hips. Sarah continues to pull his pants down his legs and he kicks them off gratefully. She gasps as his temperature makes her shiver, but just pulls him closer, attempting to move her body against his. Jack's hand moves stealthily between them to brush against her and he gasps at the slick heat that meets him. Sarah moans his name and he can't help it.

"Are you sure? This is much more than a little kiss." She growls and pushes at his chest, making him laugh despite the fog clouding his mind.

"Jack, I swear if you don't do _something, _I'm going to-"

"Okay, okay." He smiles down at her furious face. He couldn't resist riling her up a little bit, but it also helped reassure him that she did indeed want this. His fingers continue to trail over her most sensitive area, drawing more soft sounds from her before he grasps himself and begins to enter her. He expects the nails digging into his shoulders and the pain crossing her face, but it still makes him feel horrible. Slowly and patiently he thrusts gently, progressively inching his way in until her hands release their painful grip on him and her watery eyes open to meet his. Her smile encourages him to continue, speeding up a little. She gasps and her eyes flutter shut before opening again. Jack is entranced by the passion crossing her face, and he brings a hand up to cup her breast, his thumb rubbing her nipple before tugging on it. Sarah gasps again, making breathy little noises and shifting her hips against Jack's, making him moan. They move at a steady pace, learning each other's' bodies and just basking in the pleasure. Jack's mind begins to cloud over and he curses in frustration.

"Sarah… I can't…" Sarah knew before they started that she probably wouldn't orgasm upon her first experience, and just nodded in understanding, tightening her legs around him in encouragement. Jack moans her name and continues to thrust into her before he gasps and pulls out of her, releasing onto the bed spread. He breathes deeply for a moment before placing his hands on Sarah's waist and bringing her further down the bed. She gives him a confusing look but her mouth drops open when he lowers his head between her thighs.

The moment his tongue glides over her she is lost to the pleasure again, her hands moving to his hair. He continues to work her with his mouth, moving his fingers to her entrance to fill her also. She was already so close when Jack had finished that it didn't take long for her. Sarah feels the tension begin to grow in her own body, and reaches for it, massaging Jack's scalp in appreciation. The tension suddenly snaps and she is overcome with the pleasure, once again clawing at Jack's shoulders. He gasps at the slight pain and when she comes down from her high she apologizes with a sigh. Jack gently removes her hands from him and lays them at her sides as her breathing slows.

_Oh, my God, _is all that runs through Sarah's mind. Her mother would be so mad at her. The thought makes her giggle slightly. Jack lays down next to her and lazily strokes her hair, closing his eyes. He knew he should have visited on a Monday. His entire being felt whole and he didn't even care that Sarah hadn't said that she loved him. Her actions showed that she cared, and that was what mattered. Besides, they had really only known each other for several months, despite Jack already having fallen in love with her before she knew he even existed.

"So…" Sarah begins, turning to face him and cupping his cheek. He grunts in reply, not moving. "I guess this is a bit like prom night after all." She laughs to herself and Jack just smiles before placing a kiss on the skin of her palm.

"I love you." He says again.

"I care for you so much, Jack." She sighs. "More than I thought possible." He shifts and sits up to kiss her on the lips, and then she pulls away and gives him an annoyed but completely satisfied look. "And now I've lost even more homework time." He laughs and shrugs.

"It was worth it."


	4. Iced Over

**Author's Note: **Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, and followed. It really means a lot to me. Enjoy!

**Warning: **This one is rated M specifically for smut. Also, I forgot to warn you guys about the last smut dosage in "Just Love Me," so sorry about that if you were surprised or offended!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything recognizable from Rise of the Guardians.

Iced Over

Sarah watches the kids from every inch of the neighborhood gather to enjoy the newest snowfall. She shakes her head as they marvel over the huge hills that the snow plows had created. The weather report had stated that it was one of the largest snowfalls of the decade. Everyone was questioning what could have caused the snow to pop out of nowhere. Sarah shakes her head, watching the snowflakes continue to fall. She had a feeling it was caused by a certain white haired boy who was complaining about her college's lack of snow days. He had gone a little over board to get her out of class, but it made her smile.

Her next door neighbor's daughter was trying to lift the medium sized ball of snow onto the middle of the snowman she was building. She was struggling, though. Sarah walks over, her boots crunching through the snow, and offers her help.

"Here, you lift that side." She leans over and helps the girl put the ball on top of the other, and then yelps when something cold and wet smacks into her rear end. She turns around, her eyes searching for the culprit. Some of the boys are throwing snow balls around the park, but they aren't paying her any attention. She continues to look until she catches sight of Jack leaning against a tree behind the fighting boys, tossing up and catching a snowball with a smirk on his face. She glares at him, feeling the snow dampen her pants uncomfortably, and she sees him flash his teeth in a smile before blowing her a kiss. She turns her back on him, ignoring the next snowball that hits her thigh, and continues to help the little girl with her snowman.

When he is completed with sticks for arms and different rocks for eyes and a mouth, the little girl runs off to join in the now massive snowball fight. _Jack sure knows how to start a snow battle. _He is not leaning on the tree anymore, and she wonders what other kind of trouble he started, heading into her house to dry off. She self-consciously brushes the left over snow off of her pants at the door and kicks her boots against the wall before stepping inside.

"It's about time."

"Ah, the devil appears." She mumbles, sliding her scarf off and hanging it on the peg by the door.

"Well that's not very nice." Jack pouts at her from her couch. She pulls off her coat and hangs it up as well before walking over to him and plopping herself in his lap. "Ah! Your ass is freezing!"

"That's because _someone _threw a snowball at me." She makes a sad face and Jack smirks, leaning his face closer to hers and wrapping his arms around her.

"Poor baby. You know what can help that?"

"Yeah…" Sarah whispers, leaning closer. Just as their lips brush against each other she pulls his arms off of her and jumps up. "A nice cup of hot chocolate." She skips into the kitchen, laughing as Jack groans from the couch, and she can feel his annoyed stare at her back. "You want one?"

"No." His voice is closer, him having followed her into the kitchen. He leans against the counter as she pulls out a bag of marshmallows and a packet of chocolate powder. "I gave you a snow day for a reason."

"Why, so you can keep me locked up inside all day?"

"Exactly." Jack sighs, and she gives him a smile.

"Well I want to go out and enjoy your handiwork. We can stay in all night if you want to."

"Fine." Sarah continues to make her hot chocolate, and when it's finished she moves back into the living room. Jack sneaks around her to sit down on the couch first and she smirks at him before sitting next to him, turning and settling her legs over his. His hands instantly go to her jean clad legs, stroking absentmindedly. She sips her hot chocolate, moaning at the flavor, and laughs at Jack's pointed look. She knew that look meant not to start anything if she didn't intend to finish it. The first time she had gotten it was when she started a pillow fight with him in her bedroom. She had been annoyed that he had frozen her car doors so that she couldn't get to her college classes. When she confronted him he had managed to take a simple scolding and pillow battery to many hours of pleasurable retribution.

"That was sweet, what you did for that girl." Sarah smiles, knowing his soft spot for children. He had told her about Jamie and many times she wishes that she could have met the boy that helped them defeat Pitch those years ago.

"I always needed help with my snowmen, too. I was too short." She says, leaning her head back onto the pillow and closing her eyes slightly. "I forgot how fun snow days were. Thanks, Jack."

"You still owe me."

"Mhmm." Her mumble is not sufficient, because his fingers are suddenly attacking the spot in her side that is extremely ticklish. "Ah! Stop it!" Giggles erupt from her throat and she lifts the hand with her hot chocolate in it to prevent spilling it. "Jack, you're going to make me burn myself!" He instantly takes it from her and sets it on the coffee table next to the couch before resuming his torture. She curls up and slaps at his hands, but he moves with her and soon she's out of breath from laughing so hard. "Okay, okay!"

"Hm?"

"I owe you!"

"Good." Jack retrieves his devious hands and Sarah sits back up, glaring at him with a smile. "Finish your hot chocolate so we can get right on that."

"Nope. I want to go ice skating first." Sarah watches as his eyes suddenly darken and his head bows slightly. "Jack?" She sits up completely and reaches a hand out to his cheek, tilting her head curiously. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He gives her a smile, but it's not _her_ smile. His eyes are full of sadness and nostalgia.

"It's not nothing. Tell me." Her voice is gentle and she strokes his cheekbone with her thumb. She throws in the puppy dog eyes that always help her get what she wants, not feeling the least bit guilty. "Please?"

"I didn't tell you about how I became a Guardian, did I?" Sarah just shakes her head. She had a feeling that this wasn't going to be a happy story. "I had a family once." Her eyes widen. He hadn't said anything about a family. She just assumed that he had been born at his age to be Jack Frost. "I had a little sister. She was so sweet and fun, like you. I loved her so much. One day we were going out to the pond to ice skate. It was just like any other day. We were excited and I didn't pay enough attention to the thickness of the ice." Sarah gasps and Jack knows that she can hear what's coming; how their fun day out turned into such a nightmare. "The ice started to crack under her. I didn't know what to do." She reaches out for the hand on his knee and covers it with her own, trying to help him through reliving the pain and fear. "She was so scared. I tried to get her out by saying we were playing hopscotch. There was this old branch with a hook end lying on the ice by me."

"Your staff…" Sarah says, and Jack nods.

"I got it and told her to take the same three steps. When she did I grabbed her with the hook end of the stick and threw her away from the cracking ice. I thought everything would be fine then. We'd go home and tell our mom, I would get in trouble for not being careful enough, and we'd share the story of our adventure with her friends. But…" Sarah swallows, her eyes becoming watery at the emotion in Jack's voice. "The ice broke underneath me. I fell into the freezing water, and I never came back out." Her other hand lifts to her mouth in horror. She had never considered the fact that someone has to _die_ before they become a guardian. Poor Jack. His poor family! "That was what bothered me the most, that I never got to say goodbye and not knowing how my sister could have coped. She saw me fall in. But I know she could never have gotten me out. She had to see me die." His voice cracks and he swipes his arm across his eyes. "The man in the moon chose me because I saved her life. But I didn't know what I'd left behind until after three hundred _years_. Now that I do I just…" There is a long stretch of silence "I don't… I don't want to go ice skating, Sarah." Her throat is tight with the urge to cry for him, with him, but she wonders to herself what purpose that would serve. He obviously still had a lot of guilt about what happened that day, leaving his family in such a way. She didn't want to hurt him, but…

"Jack, I think we should do it."

"No." Now his voice is hard and he glares at her, real anger in his eyes. He had never looked at her that way, and it makes her shrink back against the cushions. "You're not going out on the ice."

"Jack, I know that you loved your sister. It's obvious. But think of this as a step toward healing that pain." He is still shaking his head. "Jack-"

"No, Sarah!"

"I've been ice skating since I was little, you know. I know how to tell when the pond is prime for skating." It isn't meant as a jab toward him, just another reason why they should try. She stands and he instantly grips her arm and pulls her back down, this time onto his lap.

"Sarah, I love you. But don't do this to me. Please." He says, his eyes still shining with tears. However, his tone is what gets to her. He sounds so sad, that she can't help but place a loving kiss on his lips.

"Trust me, Jack. You need this. Besides, you were human then. You're not now. If I _do _fall in, which _isn't _going to happen, you can save me just like you did your sister." She watches him patiently, her words sparking a glimmer of hope into his eyes. When he finally nods, it is barely noticeable, but Sarah smiles and kisses him again before hopping up from his lap and going to her closet for her ice skates. It was true, she _had _been skating all her life. She thrived on the cold, and it was one of her favorite things to do when the ponds in the neighborhood froze over. When she gets back downstairs, Jack is rubbing the back of his neck with a frown, his staff in his hand. He turns to her, but she stops him. "Nope. No turning back now. Come on." She puts on her coat, gloves, and boots, and then leads the way out the door.

The sun is beginning to set now, so most of the children are in for the night, enjoying their hot chocolate and warm baths to thaw them out from their activities. Jack and Sarah walk the half mile to the pond, their hands clasped together. Sarah would give Jack an encouraging smile every now and then, even though he wouldn't bother trying to return it. When they approach the expanse of frozen water, Jack tugs her back, giving her a warning look before walking ahead to check it.

"Just stay there." Sarah sighs and does as he says, sitting in the snow to put on her ice skates. Jack walks out onto the ice, jumping up and down before crouching to inspect the thickness. Sarah knows that it will have been past safe by now. While they hadn't had a lot of snow, a fact that Jack had quickly remedied, the temperature had been below freezing for many weeks. That pond was as solid as it was going to get. "Okay." Even before his permission she had been crunching through the snow to the smooth surface. Still, she squeezes his hand and looks into his anxious eyes for a moment.

"It will be fine, Jack. I promise you." She says, and kisses him before letting go of his hand. She sees his reach out again as if to pull her back when her blades hit the ice, but he stays where he is for a moment, just watching her feet. She twirls, making him flinch, and then she takes mercy on him and just glides the perimeter of the pond, smiling the whole time. After a minute or two Jack seems to realize that all is well, because he walks out onto the ice to join her. _Yes, _Sarah thinks to herself. She can practically see his fear leaving him. She knew that she could never get rid of the sadness that he felt for losing his family, but she could help him heal from the tragedy. Now that his worry had begun to wear off, she begins her more difficult tricks, spinning and jumping only as much as she knew he would allow. He skates next to her on his bare feet, a small smile on his face. She returns it and skates a circle around him playfully before digging her toe pick into the ice and doing a triple lutz, showing off just a bit. Jack finally lets out a laugh, and her heart swells.

They continue to skate even as the sun sets completely and the moon begins to rise, bathing them in blue light. Sarah raises her arms above her and spins slowly, closing her eyes. After a moment she is abruptly stopped and her eyes open to see Jack in front of her, his arm sneaking around her waist. She smiles and puts hers around his neck, leaning up to kiss him. He responds enthusiastically, and they both can almost feel Manny grinning down at them, so ethereal is the light from the moon. Sarah pulls back just far enough to capture Jack's eyes again, and then rests her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes.

"Thank you, Sarah." His whisper makes her hold him tighter, feeling that they had taken a necessary step in their relationship. She takes his hand again and leads him off of the ice with her, sitting in the snow to remove her skates. Jack stares up the moon as she does so, and she wonders just what they're saying to each other. Judging by Jack's smile it was something positive, and for that she was thankful. When she has her boots back on she leans against his side and looks up at the moon with him, waiting until Jack turns toward her again. "Let's go home."

"Oh? It's your home now?" She asks with a smirk. Jack wraps an arm around her shoulder and kisses the top of her head, ignoring her little jibe.

When they return to the house Sarah sees her abandoned cup of hot chocolate still on the coffee table and sighs, glaring at Jack over her shoulder.

"You owe me a hot chocolate."

"Oh, really? I thought it was _you _who owed _me." _Sarah shakes her head.

"Then we're even."

"Nah." Jack says, and before she can go anywhere he scoops her up, making her yelp. "You terrified me today. You still owe me." He smirks at her and carries her to the couch, laying her on her back before moving over her. She glares at him and crosses her arms over her chest, refusing to be distracted. She wanted a hot shower and another cup of hot chocolate, and damn it, she was going to… Sarah gasps when Jack shoves a hand down her pants and begins to stroke her over her underwear. "It's _my _snow day, too. I'll do what I want." He pulls her pants off of her legs and Sarah attempts to calm her suddenly erratic pulse. His fingers trail down her thigh all the way to her ankle, and she finds herself impatient.

"Jack-"

"I know, I know." He says in a condescending tone. They had been practicing since their first time, and they had become quite good at it. Sarah anticipated his next move, but she still stiffened when he dipped his head to her stomach, his tongue teasing her navel.

"No, wait." She pushes his head away and he sits up, confused. "I owe _you, _remember?" She smiles and her hands move to his zipper.

"Sarah-"

"Shhhh…" She pulls his pants down to his ankles and he kicks them off the rest of the way. He is already half hard, and she wraps her hand around him to coax him the rest of the way. His eyes close and his mouth opens slightly. She watches his face for a moment before using her other hand to grasp his testicles, rolling them together gently. He groans, his hips bucking toward her and she giggles, leaning forward to whisper into his ear. "I have a secret, Jack. Do you want to know what it is?"

"Mmmnnn." Is all the response she gets as her hands continue to stroke him. She increases her speed before slowing again, and she grins at the sharp curse that leaves him. "Sarah, please."

"Don't you want to know my secret?"

"No. Don't care. Please." He says, making her full out laugh. She couldn't blame him. It was a pretty mean thing for her to do. But he was the Guardian of fun, and she was having tons of fun right now. Precum drips from him, lubricating her hand and making it easier to please him. She trails her fingernails over his length lightly, and he whimpers.

"I'm not letting you cum until I get to tell you my secret." She says with a smirk. His eyes snap open and he glares at her so furiously that she almost takes it back. And then she just smirks at the determination in his eyes. "Hm? No?" A small smirk grows on his face and he shakes his head. Sarah returns it and slows her hand even more, letting her grip loosen. Jack does well to hide his frustration, merely gripping the couch and continuing to glare at her. "Are you sure you want to do this, Jack? It would be so easy to just listen to me."

"You're evil." He gasps out, and she shrugs, twisting her wrist around his tip and enjoying the sound it drew from him.

"Sorry, Jack." Her tone is flippant and she takes mercy on him, tightening her grip once more but keeping up the slow pace. Jack cheats by bucking into her hand, and she tuts at him, shaking her head. "Shame on you." She places one hand over his head, rolling her palm over it, and strokes the rest of him with the other. He instantly arches his back, groaning. "So…?"

"Ngh… shit…" She knows by the flushing in his cheeks and the way he is thrusting his hips now that he is close, and she doesn't slow down this time. She leans her face closer to his and smiles, using his desperation for release to her advantage.

"My secret, Jack…"

"Okay! Ah… tell me! Just don't stop!" Sarah smirks with triumph and moves her mouth to his ear, kissing it lightly as her strokes continue. Just as he reaches his peak, she whispers…

"I love you, Jack Frost." He cries out as he cums all over her hand and his stomach, his sounds of rapture music to her ears. She smiles, continuing to kiss from his ear to his neck as he bucks against her. When he finally calms down, she stops her gentle friction and stands, leaving him only for a moment to grab a towel from the closet. She comes back to the couch and cleans them off, feeling his half lidded stare on her the whole time. When she finally has the nerve to look into his eyes again, he leans forward and kisses her soundly.

In those simple words and actions, she feels whatever distance that was between them fill up completely. While she loved snow days when she was younger, she had to admit that this was definitely the best snow day she had ever been given.


	5. Show Me Your Teeth

**Author's Note: **Can I be honest? After deleting all of the one-shots and merging them into a story, I have missed seeing the reviews. If you really like this story, can you do me a huge favor and review again? It doesn't matter which chapter it is for, but it would make me feel better and also give me some idea of what you guys enjoy most so I can write more of it. Thanks, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything recognizable from Rise of the Guardians.

Show Me Your Teeth

The instant that little Maya showed the tooth to Sarah, the older girl found herself getting excited. She hadn't met the Tooth Fairy yet, but Jack had spoken of her so fondly that she was as determined to see her as the McGregor's middle child. When Sarah had arrived at their house to babysit, the now five year old had run up to her and immediately opened her mouth to show the older girl the hole, and then lifted her hand to show the proof that she was growing up like her older brother. She had boasted many times already that he hadn't lost his first baby tooth until he was six, much to his annoyance. Sarah just smiles down at her and asks if she knows what to do when she loses a tooth. In response the little girl scoffs and puts her hands on her hips.

"Of course I do! You put it under your pillow!"

"Why?" Her younger sister leans forward to listen.

"Because the tooth fairy will come get it and leave me a quarter." She says in a matter of fact tone, making Sarah grin. Since she had found out that the Guardians were indeed real, she had maintained a tiny amount of guilt at having stopped believing. It always made her happy to see children who still believe with all of their hearts, and she was often determined to make sure it stayed that way throughout their childhood.

"That's right!"

"Have you ever seen the Tooth Fairy?"

"I haven't, but I hear she's really pretty." Sarah says truthfully. _Maybe I can see her tonight. _Then she felt a bit of shame for considering using Maya as bait to finally meet one of Jack's friends. She sighs and tosses the idea as quickly as it came. It was selfish to want to hog Tooth all to herself. If she was going to make an appearance, Maya deserved to see her by herself. After all, Sarah did and would always believe. The Guardians needed to try to assure the same of Maya.

Sarah spent the rest of the night completing their usual bedtime routine, except this time when they were all asleep she went downstairs into the living room and turned the television onto an old movie station. She smiles as one of her black and white favorites, _All About Eve, _begins. A hand lands on her knee, startling her, and then she grins as Jack floats down to the couch. He lifts her legs to sit underneath them and then drapes them over his lap as he loved to do. She never knew why he had such a fixation on her legs. He wouldn't answer her when she asked.

"You like old movies?"

"Yeah. I suppose this isn't that old to you, though, huh?" She laughs, and Jack nods with a smile.

"Yeah. When I was human there was no such thing. All of our stories came from old people or books."

"Ick." Sarah makes a disgusted sound at the thought. Jack idly runs his hand up and down her calf and then nods his head toward the stairs.

"They took a long time to fall asleep tonight."

"Well, Maya was excited. I had to practically shove her into bed. Her first tooth, you know."

"Oh, yeah." Jack says, and wonders if Tooth will come tonight by herself or if she would have her fairies collect it. Since she had realized how much she missed seeing the children herself, she had made it a point to spend a certain amount of time out in the field herself. She couldn't be everywhere, of course, but it was better than not being out there at all.

"Jack?" He hums and turns his head to look at her. "Did you and Tooth ever… you know…" He catches on to her meaning quickly and his eyes widen.

"Wha? No! No, never." She gives him a dubious look and he raises his hands, palms toward her in a helpless gesture. "Seriously, Sarah. She's great, but we learned quickly that we would just never work out."

"What do you mean you _learned?" _Jack groans and runs a hand through his hair, trying to figure out how to answer without angering her any more than he already was.

"We didn't do anything. We hugged a little during that mess with Pitch, but I swear, we never went beyond that." As she stares him down and reads the near horror in his expression she sighs and shrugs.

"She just sounds so amazing. And I'm… not."

"You_ are _amazing, Sarah."

"How? I can't fly, I don't have any powers, I'm just… ordinary." She had never thought she'd feel that way, but after being surrounded by Jack for so long and hearing about all of the other Guardians, it was hard not to think of herself as just human. And compared to the rest of them, that was pretty boring. She wasn't fishing for compliments, but she needed to know what he saw so that she could understand.

"You're not ordinary to me. You're perfect." When Jack sees that she needs more encouragement, he leans toward her and lifts her chin with his hand. "You're beautiful." She snorts. "You don't filter your thoughts." At that she blushes. "Your blush is adorable and makes me want to kiss you. You know how to have fun. You're sexy. Your legs drive me crazy." Sarah smiles as she senses a pattern forming. She moves forward and tilts her head to his and his last reason dies as their lips meet. A sharp gasp sounds somewhere behind Sarah and they break apart in surprise, turning to face the intruder.

x~x

Tooth floats above Maya's bed, smiling at her serene sleeping face before reaching under the pillow to get her tooth, putting a quarter in its place. She can't resist patting her head fondly, flying over to the younger sister.

"Soon you'll be losing them too, little one." The little girl smiles as if she can hear Tooth's voice and snuggles deeper into her blankets. Tooth grins and is on her way to the window to continue her duty when she hears someone talking downstairs. It was incredibly familiar and male. "It can't be…" There was no reason why he would be here, right? It had to be someone else. Curiosity gets the best of her and she flies down the staircase, now following the voice of a girl. When she reaches the end of the stairs she sees two figures sitting closely on the couch. Her eyes narrow and their lips lock just in time for Tooth to see a head of silvery white hair. There was only one person who had that hair. "Oh!" The couple breaks apart and stare at her, and she sees that it is indeed Jack, with a brunette on his lap looking a mixture of guilty and amazed. _Wait a minute…_ "You can see me?" She directs toward the girl, zipping over, ignoring Jack's mortified groan. She had to be just a little bit older than Jack, surely she didn't still believe?

"Tooth, really?" Jack whines, and the girl turns back toward him.

"Tooth? The Tooth Fairy? That Tooth?" She turns back around and sits up, her knee nailing Jack right between his legs in her struggle. She doesn't even offer him an apology as she stares into Tooth's huge pink eyes, a smile spreading across her face. "Wow, you _are_ beautiful!"

"Um, thank you." Tooth giggles. "I'm sorry, but… how… who…?" There are so many questions that she wants to ask and she's not sure which to start with. Jack recovers from Sarah's unintentional assault and waves a hand between them.

"Tooth, Sarah, Sarah, Tooth. She's my…"

"I'm his girlfriend." Sarah says distractedly, resisting the urge to run her fingers over the shiny multicolored feathers covering Tooth's body.

"Girlfriend? Really?" She looks over at Jack for confirmation and he nods with a sheepish smile. "Goodness, Jack! You ratted Bunny out but you didn't bother telling us that _you _had a girlfriend, _too?"_ Sarah glances at Jack with confusion. He hadn't told her that Bunny was in a relationship! What were the odds? "What is with you two? We're supposed to be watching over the children and you two are fooling around… I'm sorry, where are my manners? It's very nice to meet you, Sarah." Her rant cuts off abruptly and she smiles back at the other girl. "May I?" She cocks her head to the side, confused, and then the fairy's fingers are suddenly opening her mouth and prodding at her teeth. Sarah jumps and tries to lean back, surprised. "Ooh, now I remember you! You always brushed your teeth twice a day. Good for you!" Sarah stares at the fairy in disbelief, and Jack reaches around her head and swats Tooth away.

"Tooth, stop it! Come on!" He says, and Tooth releases Sarah only to round on him again.

"_You're_ supposed to be creating a snowstorm in Minnesota right now!" She says, flitting around the couch to face him fully.

"And _you're _supposed to be stealing teeth!"

"My fairies can handle it." Tooth says, lifting her nose at him. "This is much more important. Now, when did this start?"

"When did _what _start?"

"Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about, Jack Frost!" Sarah bites her lip to keep from laughing. Now she understood why he said they wouldn't work together as a couple. It was really quite hilarious watching them fight like this, but she was starting to fear that they would wake up the children.

"Guys, um, you're getting a little too loud." She butts in quietly. "You know, the children are asleep upstairs." She clarifies.

"Oops. Sorry." Tooth whispers.

"We met a little over a year ago." Sarah answers her previous question. "But we just started really dating for a little over seven months."

"Awww, that's so sweet. How did you guys meet? I mean, when did you start believing in him?"

"After I found out he was stalking me every time I babysat for the McGregors." Sarah smirks at him and his cheeks flush. Tooth smirks as well.

"Oh, _really?" _

"I was not stalking you!"

"Oh, you so were." She says, crossing her arms over her chest. "Anyway, he left some ice on the window when it was the middle of July. I had just told the kids about the myth so it was still fresh in my mind. It occurred to me that night that he might have been real. And the next time he showed up at the house, I saw him."

"Wow. You have to be the first converted adult believer we've ever had. This is so exciting!"

"I can't believe this." Jack mumbles, and the girls roll their eyes at him.

"Oh hush up, Jack." Tooth snaps. "You should have told us about her! Shame on you, keeping her and us in the dark!"

"I give up." He says, gently removing himself from the couch and shaking his head. "You girls have fun. I'm going to go freeze something."

"See ya!" Sarah chirps with a grin, making him glare at her before he flies off to wreak havoc on some unsuspecting town. When he's gone she turns back to the fairy, who is staring at her so intently that she feels slightly uncomfortable. "Oh, Tooth it's so great to finally meet you."

"Same here. I had no idea that Jack had met someone. This really is _so _great, Sarah. We'd noticed that he had been coming here more often but we had no idea why. It makes so much sense, now."

"You knew he was coming to see me?"

"Well when the smallest one up there starting believing in him her light appeared on the globe. We'll fill you in later." Tooth waves away her question about the globe, certain that they would see her again. "Anyway, he started coming down here and then never stopped. He really likes you, Sarah."

"He's told me that he loves me." Tooth's shoulders sag in a swoon at her words. "And I love him, too."

"It's just too sweet for words. I'm so happy for you two." She leans forward and captures the human girl in a hug, her wings flittering happily. Sarah stiffens for a moment before wrapping her arms around the smaller woman. For once she didn't feel so short. It was amazing to finally see the fairy up close.

"Thanks, Tooth. That means a lot." They sit in silence for a little while before Tooth pulls away and lets out a deep breath.

"Well, I really should probably get back to collecting the teeth."

"Sure. We'll get together soon though, right?" Sarah asks. She really does value the approval of Jack's friends.

"Absolutely. I promise." Tooth says, giving her another quick hug and a smile before disappeared through the wall into the night. Sarah watches her leave and suddenly feels as if the house is empty. She sighs and checks the clock. The McGregors would be home soon and she could go home. She only hoped that Jack would stop by again. She didn't mean to blow him off, she had just gotten so excited about meeting Tooth.

When she finally returns home she finds Jack on her bed, twirling a snowflake around in his hand. She smiles and approaches him with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry about that." She says, gaining his attention. "She's really nice."

"Yeah. It's my fault. I've kept you from them. Not intentionally, though."

"Are you sure?"

"I am. Sometimes I just forget that our world has other people in it." Sarah softens and climbs onto the bed with him. She knew what he meant. It seemed as if they were the only ones in the world sometimes. They had their own bubble that no one could penetrate. "Did you have fun?"

"We didn't really get to talk much. She's busy, you know."

"You'll figure something out." Jack says, and she smiles and leans forward to kiss him before shucking off her clothes to get ready for bed. She feels Jack's lips on her shoulder after her top is off and smirks, rolling her neck to the side and closing her eyes. While she was very happy to have finally met Tooth, she had the person she loved most right there ready to show her just how wonderful their personal bubble was.


	6. Cold

**Author's Note: **I am seriously irritated today, guys. First of all, my internet won't stop being an asshole and cutting out on me without warning, thus making uploading stuff extremely difficult. But also, my "t" on my keyboard has decided to be stupid as well. So I've done my best to make sure all of the t's in this chapter are there. Please forgive me if there are some typos. Enjoy!

**Warning: **Hooray for smutty Monday! Yeah... that's pretty much all that needs to be said.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything recognizable from Rise of the Guardians.

Cold

Sarah groans and pulls her comforter over her head, wishing the misery would just end. Her head felt like it was splitting and it was impossible to breathe out of her nose. Not only that, but her cheeks felt on fire while the rest of her body was freezing. She tries to sniff and feels like crying when it causes her head to pound and her nasal membranes just vibrate painfully, not allowing any air to move through them.

She couldn't even remember the last time she had been sick. She didn't even have any allergies. But it seemed as if her body was catching up on all of her healthy years and torturing her with the worst flu of her life. She reaches a hand out from under the blanket, attempting to keep the warmth in, and feels around the top of her nightstand for the bottle of cough syrup. She knocks it off in her blind search and growls, resisting the urge to punch something. No point in adding a broken hand to her list of hindrances. She had already e-mailed her professors to tell them that she was sick. She didn't need to be unable to actually work when she returned to her classes. Sarah buries her head into her pillow again and just tries to sleep without the aid of the medicine. If she was lucky the flu would dissipate when she woke up the next morning, though it didn't seem likely. She hears a tapping against her window and tries to ignore it, but it continues until the squeaky hinge is moved.

x~x

Jack was surprised not to see Sarah in her class when he flew by her college building. She usually had perfect attendance, which was why she was so angry when he froze her car doors shut to keep her home. His eyes bounce around the room to each student before he checks the parking lot for her car. When he is certain that she isn't anywhere on the campus, he flies to her house, somewhat worried. There was no telling what had happened to her, but if it kept her out of class, it was bad.

He stops at her window and his eyes narrow on the lump on the bed covered by a thick comforter. It wasn't moving much and the floor around the bed was littered with used tissues, making it look as if the carpet was completely white and fluffy. He taps on the window but the lump on the bed doesn't move. He tries again with the same result, and quickly opens the window to step into her room. He walks toward her bed, taking in the tissues and pain killers on the nightstand. His eyes rake over the cough medicine on the floor and he instantly knows that she is sick. _That explains the sea of tissues._

"Uh, baby?" He uses one of his favorite pet names for her in an attempt to get her to stir. He pokes the silent and still lump, and then smiles when he gets a tired groan in response. "You okay in there?"

"I'm dying, Jack. Go away." She whines, and her voice sounds terribly congested.

"You're not dying." Jack says soothingly. He sits on the edge of the bed where he is sure he won't squash her and rubs what he hopes is her back. She finally moves and peeks up at him from underneath the blanket. He grimaces at the sight of her flushed cheeks and watery eyes. "Though you are starting to look like it." She glares at him as best she can before she sneezes, shaking the bed with the force. "Aww." Jack brushes a hand over her forehead and hisses at the heat. "You have a serious fever."

"I feel like I'm freezing." She says in response, and sits up sluggishly. She grabs another tissue to blow her nose and Jack watches helplessly. "This is all your fault, you know."

"Me?" Jack's eyes widen.

"Yes. Your freaky temperature makes my immune system suck. I haven't gotten a single cold in over seven years. I start dating you and a year later I have the plague!" She points to his chest angrily and he takes her hand up to his mouth, kissing it lightly with a smile. Her glare lightens slightly but then she sighs, bringing on another round of coughing. "Not only do I sound like I'm going through puberty and look like Rudolph, but I'm missing class."

"They're fine without you. I saw you weren't there so I decided to check on you. And you sound fine." He assures her. "And the nose is kind of adorable." Said feature scrunches up in annoyance and Sarah just shakes her head, trying to ignore the headache it causes. "Have you seen a doctor?"

"No. It's just the flu. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure? I thought you were dying." Jack smirks as she slaps at him in annoyance, a sure sign that she wasn't feeling too bad to still tell him to knock it off. He reaches over and hugs her despite her discomfort from his temperature, and kisses the top of her head. "Have you had anything to eat?"

"No." Jack smiles and releases her, getting up from the bed and heading to the kitchen.

"Jack?" He turns at her question and he smiles at her from the doorway.

"I'm getting you some lunch."

"But you can't cook." Sarah says, frowning.

"So? You won't be able to taste it anyway with your plugged nose." She glares at him and gets up wearily from the bed.

"Even high on cold medicine I can still cook better than you." She says, and moves past him to go to the fridge.

Upon inspection however, she sees that there are no leftovers. While she had been telling the truth about her cooking ability, she really didn't _want_ to cook. Cool lips kiss the back of her neck and she shivers, closing the fridge door.

"You could always order out." Jack says from behind her, his arms snaking around her waist. She smiles as she turns in his hold, her hands going to his shoulder.

"Junk food is the worst thing you can eat when you're sick. You're supposed to drink lots of juice and water, and eat chicken noodle soup and crackers."

"That's no fun."

"It's the rule." Sarah shrugs, pulling away from him. "If I'm going to make soup, you're going to help me."

"What?" Jack laughs. "I thought you said you could cook better than me while high on cold medicine?"

"Right. The result would be better than yours, but it wouldn't be great. I need your help." She moves over to the cupboard where the cookbooks are and grabs one, flipping to the page with classic chicken noodle soup.

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Go over the recipe for me to make sure I'm putting everything in the right amounts." Sarah then grabs a large pot from the cupboards and begins to lift it onto the stove, but she suddenly gets lightheaded and loses her grip on it. Thankfully Jack is right there and he takes it from her to set it safely on top of the burner. "Thanks."

"I'll tell you what. I'll do the dangerous parts like the cutting and dealing with the fire. You just read off the ingredients to me.

"Fine." She didn't really have much of a choice. She could easily hurt both of them as out of it as she was. "We need noodles, broth, celery, carrots, onions, garlic-"

"Whoa, whoa, hold on." Jack laughs, and she blushes for the first time not because of her illness. It makes him smile, and they start searching the kitchen for the necessary ingredients.

They continued to cook together, filling the kitchen with the smells of herbs and poultry. Between the two of them they managed to make a pretty tasty meal, and the hot soup warmed Sarah up from the inside out. The homemade meal seemed to help her flu symptoms to disappear, but Jack's company was what made her smile and forget that she had been sick in the first place. The only thing that was bringing her mood down was the splashes of food all over the stove, countertops, and even the floor.

"Now I see why you don't try to cook." Sarah says from her position at the sink. She is scrubbing out the main pot that they had cooked in, the rest of the dishes drying in the rack on the counter, which was still covered with evidence. Jack glares at her playfully from his spot on the floor.

"I _told _you!" He says. "Besides, I wanted to order pizza." Sarah scoffs and grabs the hose connected to the faucet, pointing it at him and pulling the trigger. It douses him in water, and Sarah laughs as he jumps up and lets out a yelp, raising a hand to block the stream from his face. He instantly leaps at her and she screams, trying to escape. However, he is too quick and he tackles her to the floor, making sure to take most of the impact, and grabs the hose to direct it at her head in retaliation. She laughs and screams more when one of his hands begins to tickle her at the same time, and she pushes herself out of his grasp and runs into the living room. Jack catches up to her again and scoops her up to toss her onto the couch before moving over her. Now they are both out of breath from laughing so hard, their clothes soaked from the water. Jack can't keep his eyes from taking in her transparent shirt, her nipples clearly visible. "Sarah."

She smiles at him and reaches up to pull his head down, her lips locking with his. He lets out a pleasurable sound and she allows her tongue to sneak out against his lips. He smirks against her mouth and their tongues meet in a sensual dance, Sarah's hands beginning to remove his soaked sweatshirt. He pulls it off for her and moves to work on her pants as she removes her shirt. As she wasn't expecting company, she didn't wear a bra, so his hands immediately cover her breasts. She sighs as his fingers tease her nipples, and then his mouth leaves hers and travels to one of her nipples. He looks up at her from her chest and she locks her eyes on his, begging him.

"Please, Jack." He sucks on her nipple and squeezes her other breast roughly, making her gasp. Her hands make their way to his hair and she feels his other hand move down her body. He strokes her thighs softly, letting his fingertips graze her just enough to make her arch into his touch. Jack moves his hand between her legs softly before he teases her clit, putting pressure on it and making her moan. She grips his hair tightly and lifts his head from her breasts, making him glance at her in confusion. She just smiles and pushes his hand away from her thighs, pushing him down onto his back. Before he can say anything she climbs on top of him, her knees on either side of his waist, and reaches down to grasp him. She pumps him twice, watching his eyes shut tightly for a moment, and then sinks down onto him, moaning.

Sarah opens her eyes, not even realizing that she had closed them, and shivers at the pure lust that is in Jack's expression. He stares up at her, his hands resting on her thighs. She smiles back and leans forward to kiss him, her damp hair falling over her shoulder to brush his chest. He moans as her hips shift over his, and when she comes back down Jack drives his hips upwards. She gasps loudly as his tip hits her cervix, sending stabs of pain and pleasure through her. She stares at him in disbelief, and he just smirks at her, continuing the motion. _Why have we not done this position before? _She moans and her head falls backward, her mouth dropping open. She felt so full and the mix of slight pain with pleasure was amazing. She never wanted it to stop.

"Ugh… so good." Jack groans, and she begins to bounce on top of him, placing her hands on his chest for leverage. His fingertips dig into her skin, urging her to continue. Her moans increase in volume and she feels one of his hands move to put pressure on her clit along with his thrusts.

"Oh yes! Ahh, Jack!" Her orgasm rips through her from the extra stimulation and a scream leaves her as he speeds up his thrusts to prolong the pleasure. When he finally cums it is with Sarah's name on his lips, and she moans at the coldness that fills her, catching her breath. His ice blue eyes open again and he is staring at her almost reverently. She laughs and then she notices that her nose is more open that it had been all day. "Hey, I can breathe again." He laughs as well and sits up on his elbows.

"See? All you needed was a little exercise."

"Mmmm, nah I think it was the soup." Sarah teases, and at his pout she leans forward again and nips his lower lip. He grips the back of her head and moves his lips across hers, and she sighs. "Thank you, Jack."

"I don't know. I don't think you're quite cured yet…"

"Nice try. But we still have a mess in the kitchen to clean up." She kisses his chin and hops up, trying to ignore the temptation to continue their sensual dance.

"Fine. But when it's sparkling clean I'm going to make sure you get back into bed."

"To make my flu go away faster, I'm sure." Sarah smirks over her shoulder at him, and he returns it.

"Exactly…"

**Author's Note: **Okay folks, I hate to say it, but that's it for Jack and Sarah... no I'm kidding! But it _is_ the end of this story. The sequel will be posted early tomorrow morning, and I have to admit that I'm really nervous about it. You will see why...


End file.
